That Fruit Is Mine!

Five goofy, greedy elephants are up against five teeny-tiny mice in this picture book parable for modern times.

One day, deep in the jungle, five elephants discover a new tree – a tall tree – and, atop that tree, the most mouth-wateringly delicious fruit any of them had ever seen. “MINE!” each elephant cries. “Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine!” But who will get there first? And will the elephants spot the five tiny mice, planning and plotting, slowly approaching that tip-top branch?

With fresh vision, hilarious characterization and beautifully textured art, Anuska Allepuz tells a tale of teamwork and sharing; a comedy and fable with a contemporary edge.

• The classic feel of a parable or an Aesop tale meets the contemporary look of Leo Lionni or Barroux.

• Preschools and parents focus a lot on teaching and building teamwork skills, and this story could act as a great discussion starter in the classroom or at home.

• That Fruit is Mine! has been published in over ten different languages to date.

About the Author

Anuska Allepuz studied Fine Arts at the University of Salamanca in Spain and the Academia di Belle Arti di Carrara in Italy, before undertaking postgraduate illustration courses at EINA, Barcelona and the Cambridge School of Art. A rising talent in the world of illustration, Anuska has been highly commended in the Macmillan Prize for Children’s Illustration and shortlisted for the 2012 and 2014 AOI awards. She is the author-illustrator of That Fruit is Mine! and the illustrator of A Bear is a Bear, written by Karl Newson.

Originally from Madrid, Anuska now lives in Cambridge.